Today, I’m sharing two of my favorite recipes, both of which originated with my grandmother, and both of which I’ve come to treasure over the years. The first works well as a dish for any meal, even breakfast. The second is great as a side dish or even as a dessert. Neither is diet-friendly. Enjoy!

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Hash Brown Casserole
Casserole Ingredients:
30- to 32-ounce package cubed or shredded plain frozen hash browns
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
16 ounces sour cream
1 can cream of chicken condensed soup
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 chopped onion (optional)

Topping Ingredients:
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
2 cups crispy rice cereal (not “puffed” rice cereal)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a very large bowl, combine casserole ingredients, stirring to mix thoroughly. The potatoes should be added when still frozen—that way they don’t mush up when mixing with the other ingredients. (I like to combine all the wet ingredients and then stir in the potatoes, but order really doesn’t matter as much as getting everything thoroughly mixed.) Onions are optional—I’ve made the casserole with and without them and it tastes great both ways.

Grease a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish (butter-flavored cooking spray works great). Pour mixture into the dish and spread evenly.

In a small bowl or a quart-sized zipper-top bag, combine cereal, salt, and pepper. Drizzle melted butter over and toss to coat thoroughly (much easier to do in the plastic bag than in the bowl). Spread evenly over top of casserole.

Bake 45 minutes (for shredded potatoes) to one hour (for cubed potatoes). Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.

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Sweet Potato Casserole
Casserole Ingredients:
3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes*
1 cup sugar—granulated or brown or mixed
1/4 cup melted butter/margarine
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Topping Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup melted butter/margarine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, 1 cup white-or-brown sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix until well combined. Pour into a greased 2.5- to 3-quart baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, melted butter, flour, and pecans. Mix well (will be crumbly) and spread evenly over potato mixture. Bake 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

*If you use canned sweet potatoes, get the kind packed in water not syrup.